Fiasco
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: "Well you're usually the one sweet talking me. At least when you're a cat I'm the one seducing you. How cute." [CarmillaxLaura fluff. Also Catmilla]. T for potty mouth vampires.


**Finally, I wrote a full-length Carmilla fic! I combined several ideas here, and I hope you enjoy! (I'm excited I can now use "girlfriends" for them and it's canon oh my gOD).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Carmilla**

* * *

><p>Fiasco<p>

It was almost ironic how drastically Laura's life had changed since she'd met Carmilla.

Initially, she'd wake every morning _eager_ to get out of her room and head to class, simply because that meant another moment away from her brooding roommate with questionable nighttime hobbies. She always would have _much_ rather gotten up from bed and gone elsewhere to study or work on a project, do something productive rather than laze around.

And now, here she was, several weeks later, curled up in bed and refusing to move, partially because it was the weekend and she didn't have anything too dire to attend to, and partially because she was _way_ too comfortable.

Ever since the battle with the Dean about a week ago, she and Carmilla had been pleasantly inseparable in every sense of the word, and that included while sleeping.

Presently, Laura was sandwiched between her slumbering girlfriend and the wall, and the idea of getting up was becoming less and less appealing by the minute. She made a small, tired noise in the back of her throat, as if debating with herself whether she should get started on her tasks on time or not.

Maybe in five more minutes.

For now, she spoiled herself and gazed fondly down at the sleeping vampire before her.

Carmilla's arm was draped loosely across her stomach, keeping Laura close even when they were in an unconscious state. Laura realized her own embrace on her girlfriend had come slack in the night, so she fixed that right now, gently sliding one arm beneath Carmilla and resting the other over her exposed side.

Indulging herself, she pressed close, nestling her face into the dark-haired girl's chest, sighing contentedly as the faint warmth of their bodies mingled. With an ear to Carmilla's collar, she listened to every sacred breath she took, every faint beat of her ancient heart, and felt every minuscule twitch of her body as she dreamed – _if_ she even dreamed, that is.

It'd been five days since the Dean had been... temporarily defeated, and each day since, Laura had spent every waking - and even most sleeping - moments fretting about Carmilla, doting on her, asking if she were hurt and where and why and what she could do to help it. The minor cuts and scrapes had healed thanks to several treatments of aloe and disinfectant, but there was a nasty bruise on Carmilla's left side that was still a bit of a problem.

Presently, Laura traced her hand over the rise and fall of Carmilla's ribs until her palm rested over that wound. She winced just thinking about it, but rubbed gently over her shirt. At least when Carmilla was asleep, she didn't feel the pain as strongly, and they both fully believed that Laura's touch helped speed up the healing process.

Five days.

It'd been five days since Carmilla had come back to her, five days since she'd lain almost lifeless on this very bed-

-five days since they'd kissed for the first time.

And the second. And third and fourth. And many, _many_ more times since then.

Laura's lips curled into a smile as she recalled some of those memories now, and she even nosed Carmilla's shirt away from her neck a bit to press a quick kiss to her chest.

But then she realized she should probably get going...

With a sigh, she peeled herself away from her girlfriend, looking over Carmilla's still-sleeping form with regret.

_But the sooner I'm finished, the sooner I can come back to her_, she reminded herself by means of self-motivation.

Now there was only one issue she faced – getting out of bed without waking her.

Laura went slowly, pulling the blankets down away from herself and sliding herself down toward the foot of the bed with painstaking care, as though she were trying to avoid invisible tripwires. Every faint rustle the blankets or pillow made sounded far too loud in this silence, eclipsed only occasionally by Carmilla's breathing. Laura would shift a bit and then pause, waiting, letting the silence return before making another move.

It took her almost five full minutes to reach the end of the bed and finally slide her legs off. With a triumphant smile and an accomplished sigh, she was about to hop off onto solid ground when a hand curled around her stomach and dragged her back onto the bed.

"Morning, Cupcake," Carmilla drawled into her ear. "And where, may I ask, do you think you're going without me?"

"Carm... Were you awake this whole time?" she groaned.

Her girlfriend smirked mischievously.

"Of course I was. I just wanted to see how far you thought you could get without waking me. I'd say you almost passed, but your stealth technique still needs a bit of work."

"Jerk..."

"Hmm~" It was nothing short of a smug purr - perhaps literally - as Carmilla pulled her closer, squeezing a little tighter. Laura admitted defeat to herself and carefully returned the embrace.

"How's your wound?" she wondered.

Carmilla paused for a moment before answering, shifting her body a little before a wince made her stop.

"Getting there – thanks to you, no doubt."

"I'm just glad I can help a bit."

"More than a bit, Honey. Trust me." Carmilla leaned forward to hold a kiss to the girl's cheek before pulling back to meet her eyes. "Now don't change the subject. Where were you planning on going without me?"

"Oh, don't say it like that," Laura murmured. "I just figured I should let sleeping vampires lie." She brushed Carmilla's dark bangs out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. "But to answer your question, just to the store," she confessed. "There's still a few days left before my dad comes to pick me up for Reading Week, and-"

"Ugh, don't remind me." Carmilla cut her off, squeezing her tightly in defiance, in the cutest form of a pout Laura had ever encountered.

When her father came to pick her up and take her home, that would mean she'd have to leave Carmilla here alone for an entire week. Laura didn't like the thought of it either, especially with everything that had happened on this campus thus far, and she was going to be a nervous wreck calling and texting her girlfriend every five minutes to make sure she was keeping out of harm's way.

However, she _did_ plan to tell her father that she needed to come back to school a few days early to finish a project, so what Carmilla didn't know was that her girlfriend would be returning to her sooner than expected, but Laura was keeping that a surprise.

"I know, I know..." she sighed, hugging Carmilla back. "Those days are gonna _drag_ on, but just think of how nice it'll be to see each other again when it's all over." She kissed Carmilla's nose and giggled lightly. "And don't worry. When I'm back at home there's no way I can meddle in supernatural vampire affairs, so I won't be in any danger. It's just..." Her voice dropped, and her smile did too as her eyes bore into dark pools like starless nights. "I'm kinda worried about leaving you..."

Carmilla would be lying if she were to say she wasn't affected by that kicked puppy-dog look as though she'd been struck by an oncoming train. Her lips curled up just a little as she pulled Laura in to her.

"Creampuff," she sighed. "I'm the last thing you'll have to worry about. I learned my lesson, alright? I'm not taking any course of action unless I know you're right there beside me so I can protect you." She kissed the crown of her head.

Laura huffed once.

"More like so _I_ can protect _you_..."

"Hey now, that's... not entirely true..." Carmilla trailed off muttering; it was... sort of true. Maybe.

Laura stayed where she was a moment longer, until she'd located Carmilla's pulse and listened for a few minutes. She still vividly remembered the first night after Carmilla had come back, how they'd lain down together on the same bed without a word or a second thought. She'd pulled Laura in to her and told her, "Listen. Hear that? It's for you, Laura. Only for you."

It had been strangely sentimental for Carmilla of all people to say, but after they'd both made their affections for one another clear, there was no longer room for shame or embarrassment about such things when they were alone together.

And Laura knew she meant it figuratively, but had to wonder if it was true literally as well. After all, she was the _only_ person she knew of whom Carmilla would ever allow to get close enough to her to be able to find her pulse. Laura imagined she'd probably maim anyone else.

It was nice to know Laura had something no one else ever could.

She hadn't realized she was starting to fall asleep again, curled into Carmilla's chest as she was with that steady beat beneath her ear. It was the vampire herself who patted her shoulders to rouse her.

"Uh, Laura? Didn't you have to go somewhere?"

"Hm...? Oh, yeah." Once again, she reluctantly pulled away and opened her eyes. "_We_ should probably get ready and get going."

She smiled, and after a moment, Carmilla smiled back.

* * *

><p>After some quick breakfasts, the two of them took turns freshening up in the bathroom and slipping into clean clothes.<p>

Laura pulled a small purse over her shoulder before declaring she was ready. Carmilla offered her hand to her; she'd waited a hundred-odd years to finally have a lover who accepted her for everything she was, and she wasn't about to let a bit of bashfulness prevent herself from flaunting the fact that she'd found that in Laura now.

The blonde happily took her hand, fingers entwining, plain nails separating painted ones as they headed for the door.

"I know you're probably tired," she commented as they walked through the halls. "I'll try to make this trip quick. Promise!"

"It's fine, Laura," Carmilla reassured.

"But still! I won't take too long."

For the past several nights, Carmilla had been working on her sleep schedule a bit more, making an effort not to sleep in during daylight hours and be active during nighttime ones. She wanted to rearrange herself so that she slept and woke when Laura did, so she wouldn't waste spending a second with her.

She might not've been able to blatantly say "I love you," yet, but Laura knew these little, silent actions demonstrated just that.

This relationship really was bringing out the best in both of them, and neither was about to give any part of it up for any reason.

They reached an exit and stepped outside into a grey morning. It was slightly overcast and not too sunny, which was good, considering how uncomfortable strong sunlight made Carmilla. The air was a bit cool, but overall, it was a perfect day for them.

They walked side-by-side, though Laura led the way toward the nearby grocery store, which was actually closer to the school than the convenience store. She mentioned as much out loud to Carmilla, and her girlfriend shrugged and commented, "Not very convenient then, is it?"

Laura didn't know why she laughed so hard at that. Perhaps just because Carmilla had cracked a joke.

They walked hand-in-hand for about five minutes until they reached the parking lot of the store, keeping to the sidewalks. The automatic doors allowed them entry without having to let go of the other's hand, but inevitably they would have to.

"Alright," Laura said once they were inside. "Lemme get my list." In order to do that, she had to let go of Carmilla's hand, leaving a slightly pouting vampire girlfriend. She pecked Carmilla's cheek quickly to make up for it, and luckily that seemed to suffice.

Laura dug into her purse for a small piece of paper, scanning it quickly before heading off. "Y'know, this is the first time you've come shopping with me, Carm!" she observed.

The dark-haired girl shrugged, eyes squinting.

"Judging by the unnecessarily-bright artificial lighting in this place, and the irksome, terrible taste in music they're playing, I can understand why."

"Like I said, I'll be quick!" With a bit of a salute, Laura bounded off toward the fresh produce, and Carmilla followed more slowly, though made sure not to lose sight of her.

"Hm... let's see..."

Laura was muttering to herself, and Carmilla crossed her arms, intent to be as patient as possible as she waited. She watched over Laura like a wolf over her cub- or, maybe mate?

Carmilla shook her head, still not quite used to such a thought yet. Laura would always be a puppy to some degree in her eyes.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something... _off_ about this place.

Maybe it was just the lighting that was making her dizzy, or the din of their fellow shoppers, or the casual music being played.

Carmilla closed her eyes for a second, but even the brief rest didn't do her any good.

Upon reopening her eyes, she noticed an elderly man who's curved spine was preventing him from reaching the top shelf of lettuce. Laura noticed him too, and by some miracle, her humble height managed to reach what the man couldn't, and she presented it to him with a smile.

Carmilla knew they'd be here all day if Laura started helping every senior citizen she caught sight of, so the dark-haired girl made a move toward her girlfriend.

"Laura, can we speed things along? I'm feeling kind of-"

She cut off instantly when a strong odor clogged her lungs, and a throbbing ache suddenly crashed through her skull. Whipping around, she saw the product that had caused all of this just before her eyes rolled back and her posture slumped.

"_Shit..."_

Laura had just been waving goodbye to the old man when she heard her girlfriend's voice abruptly stop.

"Carm?" She turned around. "What's- oh my god!"

Carmilla went reeling, falling forward limply. Laura all but jumped forward to catch her and stop her from collapsing on the hard, tiled floor.

"Carm! What's the matter, what-?"

Panicked, her eyes flashed around for a few seconds until she pinpointed the source of all this.

Piles of fresh vegetables were displayed in labeled groups all along the aisle, avocados, peppers, onions, and-

"Garlic..." Laura gulped, still struggling with Carmilla's limp weight in her arms. "Oh crap, oooh _crap!_"

She'd admittedly put a few cloves of garlic around her vampire roommate's neck in the past when she'd believed Carmilla was a threat. In addition to severe malnutrition due to lack of blood, that garlic had helped subdue her and weaken her.

But that had been under ten cloves or so. What was before them now were _dozens_, and surely breathing in the scent for not very long had become too much for her vampire girlfriend - who was still recovering from a horrendous battle with her insane, power-hungry mother, mind you.

Laura frantically tried to keep both Carmilla and herself up off the floor as she dragged her roommate away from the vegetables.

"Carm? Can you hear me? Ohhh, gosh I didn't even think about this kinda thing..."

A slight moan was the only response she got. Obviously, Carmilla was more or less out cold.

"Oh-kay then, um..."

Laura was at a loss for what to do, but she knew she needed to act quickly.

And she needed to get Carmilla _out of there_.

Of course, her girlfriend could transform into a giant black panther _at will_, but Laura wasn't about to take the chance that she could potentially lose grasp on her human form in the middle of a store full of elderly people; there'd be heart-attacks all around for sure.

There were already concerned onlookers gathering around and looking her way. A woman nearby gasped when she saw them and rushed over to Laura asking what had happened.

"Um... h-her allergies! She's allergic to garlic and I didn't see all of it over there. B-But she'll be fine! She's just gotta rest a bit now, haha. Plus, I've... I've got her medicine here with me, so we're all good! She'll be up and at 'em in no time! But thanks for your concern!"

The woman gave her a skeptical look, as did most of the other people around.

Laura coached herself, muttering under her breath. "Alright, forget the shopping. I gotta get you back to school..."

With a grunt of effort, she slung Carmilla's arm over her shoulders and grabbed hold of her girlfriend's waist. Only when Carmilla moaned again did Laura realize she'd grabbed her injured side.

"Sorry!" Laura whimpered.

She urgently began making for the exit before even more people could stop and stare at them. Laura just kept repeating to the onlookers, "She's fine! Just a bit tired! Long night studying for exams, that's all!"

But just before she reached the door, a young man in a red vest stepped in front of her. Laura looked up at him – he was clearly an employee.

"Ma'am," he said, slightly nervous. "I think it'd be best if we call an ambulance, just to make sure your friend is alright. In fact, the store manager insists."

Laura froze, forced to imagine what it would be like to hand Carmilla over to doctors and nurses who'd strap her onto a portable bed, load her up into a truck and take her to a chaotic hospital on the other side of town. Laura wasn't even sure if they'd find a pulse – maybe that was just for her – and if word got out that a student had _died_ at a local grocery store-

She could see it now. They'd hold Carmilla's funeral and bury her six feet under, and Laura would stay there all night until her vampire girlfriend woke up, kicked the lid off her coffin, clawed her way up through the earth and smashed her skull into Laura's and knocked _her_ unconscious.

"Um-!" Laura squeaked up at the man. "N-No, it's _really_ fine. Honestly. I have her medication with me and I've already given her a dose. She's just drowsy now, but I'll just take her outside and wait till she wakes up and then take her back home!"

Did she sound convincing? _God_ she hoped she sounded convincing. Because in reality, she had no clue what to do for this.

It was a small blessing when the man finally stepped aside and let her through.

Laura slipped through the automatic doors with Carmilla partially resting on her back. They drew the attention of all the arriving customers in the parking lot.

There was a bench outside the store, and Laura quickly sat down, propping her girlfriend up beside her to rest for a moment.

"Carm?" she hissed. "Carm! Can you hear me?" She placed a hand on her shoulder and shook gently, but Carmilla's head just lolled to the side, curls of dark hair spilling over. Laura was torn between staying here to let her rest or bring her back to the dorm.

But she feared someone might have already called 9-1-1 and that an ambulance might arrive here any second now to take her vampiric girlfriend away. She wasn't about to risk it.

"Alright. Let's do this."

Laura rolled up her sleeves and stood.

But before she hoisted her unconscious girlfriend to her feet, she got an idea to try something else.

Laura slipped one arm beneath Carmilla's knees and braced her other arm under her shoulders. With a surge of strength, she lifted her roommate up into her arms, though she trembled all the while.

"Oh god- Danny made it look so easy!"

She started walking, one step at a time, and it was an endeavor not to fall flat on her face on the concrete sidewalk. She scurried to the edge of the building before doing her best to hurry across the crosswalk.

As soon as she reached grass, Laura collapsed to her knees, holding Carmilla in her lap as she caught her breath.

"Okay... so... that's enough of that..." She wiped her forehead before doing the same for her unconscious girlfriend. "We caused quite a scene in there," she mumbled. "I'll get you back to the dorm, promise."

She leaned down and kissed Carmilla's nose before hunching forward, resting her head on the vampire girl's chest for a moment. The sound of Carmilla's breathing was reassuring, but it was rather shallow, and it worried Laura.

And there was something else.

There was a warmth coming from Carmilla, a warmth one wouldn't typically imagine coming from an undead person who wasn't snuggled up in a bed of blankets.

It was less of the heat of a person, and more the heat of a... large furry animal.

"Oh no." Laura sat up instantly. "Oooh no, no, no. Carm, don't you _dare_ transform into a giant panther, _not now_. God, it looks bad enough now that it looks like I've... _murdered_ someone and am dragging their body away to bury it in some remote place, but... I _can't_ carry a panther back to school, alright? I physically cannot. Just _don't_ transform _pleeease_. Someone'll call the local zoo and oh god I need to stop thinking about this."

She stood quickly, pulling Carmilla up as well, slinging her girlfriend's arm around her shoulders again as Laura clung to her back and waist.

"And _of course_ I left my cell phone behind because I didn't think I'd _need_ it, so I can't even call anyone for help..." she huffed. "But it's just a five minute walk. I can do this!"

Easier said than done.

Much easier.

The tips of Carmilla's boots kept stubbing on the cracks in the sidewalk, and her hair kept getting into Laura's eyes. It was always one thing or another, and either way, it resulted in Laura needing to stop walking for a second to readjust their positions.

She'd lost count of how many stares and appalled gasps they'd received from passerby until now, and instead put every shred of focus into getting her girlfriend back to their dorm room.

Carmilla was getting warmer by the minute, and Laura could sense it wouldn't be long before she doubled in size and grew a tail.

It was painstaking how fast she _needed_ to move and how slowly she was _actually_ moving.

It took double the time to get back to the school, but by some blessing, Laura made it.

The hallways were vacant as she scrambled to their door, fumbling for the key in her pocket. There was a telltale sound from Carmilla just then, one that started as a groan and ended in a growl...

Laura burst through the door just as the girl on her back shifted forms into that of a large, black panther.

With a short cry, she fell forward, crushed to the floor beneath the giant cat that was her girlfriend. Laura wheezed and managed to kick the door closed before she focused on heaving Carmilla off of her.

"God..." she huffed. "I just _had_ to go grocery shopping today, didn't I? Ended up making my girlfriend collapse and transform into a cat. Good job, Hollis..."

She slipped her legs out from beneath Carmilla's chest to free herself entirely, sighing in relief and only slight exasperation as she fixed her ruffled clothing. She was just considering herself lucky she'd managed to haul Carmilla all the way back here and avoid too much trouble – or at least the trouble of being caught with a passed-out panther in the middle of town.

Laura ran a hand through her disheveled hair, but ultimately smiled; she knew Carmilla would be fine after a bit of rest.

Unfortunately, she didn't possess the required strength to lift a full-grown panther onto one of the beds, so Laura opted to leave her on the floor.

She knelt down beside the sleeping cat, running her hands through warm fur. There was a matted clump of fur on Carmilla's left side where the wound was, and Laura pressed over the area with feather-light touch.

She contented herself with petting for a while, but soon realized she was fairly exhausted herself.

Before she knew it, she was resting her head on Carmilla's flank and closing her eyes.

* * *

><p>The first thing Carmilla felt when her conscious came back to her was a light prickling feeling in her head, as though her skull had been stuffed to capacity with cotton.<p>

Her mind registered a weight on her side, and her whiskers told her she was lying on the floor.

Whiskers.

_Oh great..._

She opened her eyes to find herself in her cat form, sprawled on the bedroom floor. She thumped her tail against the floor irritably as the memories came flooding back to her.

_Fantastic. I was taken out by some vegetables. Way to go, Carmilla._

She lifted her head, discovering the weight on her side was caused by none other than Laura, fast asleep. She was out cold, and Carmilla could understand why.

_She must've carried me all the way back here... _

And judging by the lack of police or other rowdy people, she assumed she'd managed to maintain her human form long enough for Laura to bring her back.

_What would I do without her?_

Carmilla straightened up just a bit, trying not to rouse her girlfriend. She twisted her neck a bit and stretched out her tongue to lick softly over Laura's hand. She let out as rasping purr, allowing it to fill her lungs and travel through her body.

But apparently, Laura wasn't in as deep a sleep as Carmilla had assumed she was.

The girl blinked open her eyes a few seconds later, and Carmilla almost choked on the purr as she quickly tried to swallow and stifle it, resulting in a hacking cough.

Laura sat up quickly, instantly awake.

"Carm! You're up! Oh, thank god you're okay."

Carmilla regained her composure a bit and rolled her eyes, headbutting Laura's shoulder affectionately to confirm her statement. Laura sighed.

"That's a relief." Then, her lips curved into a teasing smile. "And don't think I didn't hear that purr just now."

Carmilla roared in frustration as her girlfriend laughed.

"But wait, don't transform back just yet," Laura requested. "Let me try a few things..."

Carmilla gave her a deadpanned look, though her ears soon perked in curiosity. Even still, she maintained her current form, just to see what the girl had up her sleeve.

"I had a pet cat growing up," Laura recalled. "I wonder if it'll work the same way on you..."

Carmilla froze. If it was just going to be teasing and treating her like a house pet, she'd rather just transform now and-

-oh _god_.

Laura's hands had gone to the cat's ears, her nails digging lightly into the fur to scratch at the bases.

Carmilla melted, though she did make an effort to force down the purr that tried to creep up her throat again. She closed her eyes, focusing on Laura's touch, tail swishing from side to side.

Laura chuckled and continued. "Feels good, huh?"

Carmilla grunted, telling her to be quiet.

But not to stop.

She wriggled a bit, pressing her head into Laura's hands, angling her ears. Her front paws started kneading the floor as Laura scratched harder, going deeper into the thick, black fur.

It elicited a mewl from Carmilla, a sound she hadn't been able to stifle, a sound so mortifying she dropped her head into her paws immediately afterward.

Laura had to slap a palm to her mouth.

"Oh my god, Carm that was so _cute!_"

The panther snarled softly, but Laura quickly went back to scratching. Carmilla whined, lifting her head again, ears flicking.

Laura pet there for a few minutes before trailing one hand down to Carmilla's shoulder and the other between her eyes, around her muzzle, and then beneath her chin. The panther's jaws parted as Carmilla fought off another purr, revealing pristine white teeth; Laura preferred her vampire fangs over these.

"Come on, Carm. It's okay to purr!"

The cat snorted in defiance, but Laura still had one last thing to try.

She slid both hands to Carmilla's side, being careful to avoid her injury. She then started to massage and rub circles, sending waves of comfort throughout Carmilla's body.

Carmilla broke.

Fuck it.

She let out the purrs, louder than a motorboat as she relented entirely to her human girlfriend. She rolled willingly over onto her back, exposing her belly and letting Laura do as she pleased.

_Oh my god,_ Carmilla thought, feeling her mind slipping. _This isn't fair. No way... Damn it, Laura..._

Her purrs only grew louder, as did Laura's giggles. She rubbed her palms in circles, scratched up and down the length of Carmilla's belly all the way up to her chest. She could tell Carmilla was fighting to stay awake now.

"Well you're usually the one sweet talking me. At least when you're a cat _I'm_ the one seducing _you_. How cute."

Carmilla snarled again, but the effect was humorously lost under the sounds of her heavy purring.

Carmilla was in bliss for almost a full ten minutes; she hardly even cared about all the taunting Laura would put her through later. It just felt so fucking _good_...

Until Laura pressed her lips to the center of Carmilla's stomach and blew a mouthful of air into her fur.

The ticklish sensation spread throughout her body like wildfire, and Carmilla jolted, flipping over instantly as she let out a yowl of surprise and protest. Laura sat back and laughed as her girlfriend whined, ears going flat as Carmilla quickly transformed back into her usual shape; years of practice thankfully allowed her to keep her clothing from before.

Carmilla's cheeks were slightly pink as she shook herself off and glared at Laura.

"What the hell was that?" she snapped, more flustered than anything.

Her girlfriend was still giggling away.

"Carm-! You're so sensitive!"

"Oh, I'll show you sensitive, Sweetheart."

With that declaration, she pounced on Laura, pinning her to the floor. Carmilla leaned down toward her neck, revealing her fangs, running them up along her soft flesh.

But the seductive presence she was working for didn't seem to have any effect on her still-giggling girlfriend, and it miffed Carmilla to no end.

She sat up again, her dark hair falling down on either side of her neck and creating a screen, shielding the two of the from any view but each other's.

"I dunno what that was, Sunshine, but don't ever do it again," she said huskily. "You'e lucky you're cute and I'm dating you, or else I'd've chewed you up by now."

"Uh-huh," Laura smirked. "Suuure. What could _you_ do, you big, soft, kitty cat?"

Carmilla growled again, lunging in, intent to bite her for real this time. But Laura was faster and full of more energy, and she managed to flip them over again, holding Carmilla by the wrists beneath her.

"Laura, I mean it. Don't even _think_ about-"

"What?" Laura hummed innocently, shifting slightly lower. "_This?_" She used her nose to push Carmilla's shirt up, revealing her stomach. Laura dove in, pressing sloppy kisses into her skin and blowing.

Carmilla screeched.

"_Laura!_"

She thrashed, trying to pry the girl off of her to no avail. She'd never been tickled before, and she sure as hell didn't know how to stop it now other than to resort to groveling and pleading.

"Laura! L-Laura, come on-! Oh my _god_-"

Laura was using her hands now too, sliding them down Carmilla's sides and wiggling her fingers over her ribs. Carmilla spasmed beneath her, trying to keep her voice down, refusing to give Laura the satisfaction of hearing her laugh.

But she was weak, especially to her tiny human girlfriend.

After only a minute, Laura had broken her a second time that day.

Carmilla laughed out loud, unable to stop herself.

And again, she found she didn't _care_. Fuck if she cared if anyone else heard. She was going to flaunt her enjoyment of being with Laura, having Laura as _her own._

So she allowed herself to laugh, and Laura only laughed harder when she heard that lovely sound. She nuzzled into Carmilla's stomach, reminding her constantly of how adorable she was.

Only when her girlfriend started getting short of breath did Laura let up, releasing Carmilla and pulling away a bit.

When Carmilla felt the assault was over, she reopened her eyes, trying to appear as unamused as possible.

"Laura..." she panted breathlessly. "Don't think... this is over. You should've let sleeping vampires lie. I'm gonna... make you regret this..."

"Okay, Carm. Oh-kay," she nodded. "But until you learn how to out-tickle me, I'll win every time."

"We'll see about that... I'll think of something..."

"Okay," Laura chuckled. "But later. For now..."

Her smile faded slightly as she looked her exhausted girlfriend over, remembering Carmilla had passed out an hour ago and was still injured from the battle.

"For now, just relax. I won't tickle you anymore. Promise."

She leaned over her girlfriend, resting lightly on top of her. One hand went to the bruise on her side and rubbed gently, and she felt Carmilla sigh deeply. Laura looked down into her eyes, asking permission the vampire didn't refuse.

She kissed her softly, slowly, pulling back a few seconds later to let her regain her breath before repeating the process.

Laura kissed her for a few minutes, until she felt Carmilla's harsh breathing begin to slow and her tense muscles relax.

After one more kiss, Laura shifted down to lay her ear over Carmilla's heartbeat and listened for a while. It was still pounding quickly, but as the minutes went on, it began to slow, until it was back at its normal rhythm. She continued massaging her girlfriend's injury as she snuggled closer.

"We caused quite a fiasco today," she murmured.

"Whatever. Let me up. I'm thirsty."

Laura did as she asked and sat up, supporting her tired girlfriend as well. Carmilla's eyes were directed toward the fridge, but Laura placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Why don't you just have it fresh? I owe you that much." She smiled.

Carmilla was too damn tired to refuse the offer; not that she wanted to in the first place.

"Fine. But let's get off the floor, yeah?"

Together, they stood and stumbled over to Laura's bed, sitting on the edge together. Carmilla brushed the girl's hair aside to reveal her neck, and Laura was still as she waited.

Two arms slipped around her torso to support her, and she curled her hands up to hold onto Carmilla.

Clearly, her girlfriend was getting revenge for the tickle attack before by breathing hotly on her neck now, dragging this out for as long as possible to drive Laura mad.

And it was totally working. She cracked within seconds.

"Carm..." she sighed. "Just do it."

"My, my~" Carmilla purred. "Someone's eager." She used her tongue to lap a line up the side of her neck, feeling Laura's blood pump a little faster as she did so. Laura retaliated with a hint of smugness in her tone.

"But we both know you can't resist my blood. It's a delicacy 'cause of all the sweet cookies, right? Maybe I should retract my offer and you should drink from the carton after all?"

"Alright, fine," Carmilla grumbled. "You win. Hold still. If you tickle me now, your blood's literally on your own hands."

She found the little puncture wounds of old bite marks and carefully sunk in.

Laura closed her eyes and breathed normally. There was no pain, and she just savored Carmilla's arms around her so intimately, inhaling her perfume, sharing her blood with her.

Carmilla only drank for a minute, not wanting to take too much before she pulled away, licking clean the little wounds before covering them with a kiss.

"Exquisite," she breathed, looking up past dark bangs to find Laura's eyes. "Come to think of it, this is the first time I've drank from you since we've... become an item."

"You're still living a couple dozen years in the past," Laura laughed. "No one says _that_ anymore."

"Hey..." Carmilla's tone dropped a pitch suggestively. "Stop talking for a second."

Laura lowered her voice as well.

"And do what?"

Carmilla smirked.

"_You know._"

Her hands slid up to Laura's face, and Laura's coiled around her waist in turn. They shared a breath as their lips came together, soft yet firm.

It was a full moment of bliss, elation, and unconditional love.

When they broke apart, Carmilla heaved a sigh and pulled Laura down onto the bed with her. The smaller girl made a playful protest.

"Can we really afford to laze around all day?"

"Quiet. You're going to be leaving me all alone in a few days. You're mine for every second until then." Her jaws parted in a yawn and her eyes fell shut. "Now I'm going to nap, but... by all means if you'd rather go back out food shopping-"

A soft kiss silenced her.

Laura smiled and cuddled her girlfriend, resting against her once more and closing her eyes.

"G'night, Carm."

And she didn't think about what she said next – nor did she regret it.

"Love you."

She didn't miss the way Carmilla's heart skipped a beat, and her girlfriend gasped ever so softly, stiffening beneath her. The arms around her back squeezed a little tighter, and Laura felt the other girl tremble.

She reopened her eyes and lifted her head, her eyes going wide as she realized-

-Carmilla was crying.

Laura's voice was thick with emotion as she spoke her name.

"_Oh, Carm..._"

_'Vampires don't cry', _Carmilla had once told her.

"Laura..."

Her girlfriend blinked open her dark eyes, and a tear rolled down each cheek; Laura kissed them both sweetly.

It took Carmilla a minute to get herself back under control.

She just... she didn't think she'd ever hear those words unless they were coated with lies and deceit.

But when Laura said them, there was no doubt they were the absolute truth.

"Thanks..." Carmilla murmured. "I..." She paused and bit her lip, tasting a drop of blood.

She was scared to say it, scared something bad might happen if she did.

But when she met Laura's eyes, shimmering with the utmost affection for _her and her alone_, Carmilla knew it would be unfair not to repeat the phrase back to her - and _mean_ it with every fiber of her being.

"I... I love you, too..."

It was the first time she'd ever said those words, the first time in all her existence.

It was terrifying, nerve-wracking-

-and so, indescribably wonderful.

When she heard Carmilla whisper those words, Laura felt a wave of emotions swell up in her chest and a warm sting rise up behind her eyes.

"Thanks, Carm."

She kissed her girlfriend's collar, over her heart, and curled up again.

"Sweet dreams."

And since Laura had wished it for her with soulful affection, Carmilla knew this would be the first sleep she'd have in decades where sweet dreams would be all she had.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed it, from fluff, to humor, to drama, to fluff again! I've been wanting to write a fic in which I used the "vampires don't cry" thing, and this one seemed appropriate. And since I doubt they can put an actual panther in the show, I wanted to write it at least once! Catmilla is the best, heehee**

**Let's enjoy season 2 together in the spring!**

**Please review!**


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